Butime resigns as Minister of Karamoja

By Amlan Tumusime, Fred Kayizzi & Apollo Mubiru
The State Minister for Karamoja affairs, Col. Tom Butime, has resigned, citing what he calls “personal” reasons.
Col. Butime, the Mwenge North MP in Kyenjojo district, resigned on Tuesday.
Butime, speaking on phone yesterday, said, “It’s true I have resigned my ministerial post and I have already officially communicated to the President about it.”
He added: “I handed in my resignation letter to the President’s Principle Private Secretary, Amelia Kyambade, on Tuesday and I hope the President has already received it.”
Pressed to explain further his abrupt action, Butime said, “Taking me to Karamoja was a disservice to my people of Mwenge North who elected me. But there are other reasons which I cannot tell you on telephone.”
He also said, “I would rather remain a mere Member of Parliament and make an effective representation of my people who elected me instead of going to Karamoja.”
Sources said Butime had not appeared in his office since he was sworn-in on June 2, 2006.
He has reportedly also been absent from Cabinet meetings. He had reportedly not officially communicated to his appointing authority his failure to immediately assume his new responsibility.
Butime, a former Minister of State for Regional Co-operation, in the old Cabinet, was among the ministers retained in the new Cabinet announced by President Museveni.
Two FM Radio Stations, including Kyenjojo FM where Butime hails from, yesterday broadcast his resignation during their 1:00pm news bulletin.
The radios, which also included Kagadi FM station in Kibaale district, quoted Butime as saying he was no longer a minister in Museveni's government.
Last week, about 100 local leaders in Kyenjojo district held a heated meeting and called upon Butime to either resign his ministerial post or quit the Parliamentary seat.
They argued that they would not allow Butime to remain MP and serve also as minister for Karamoja.
The meeting was also attended by the Kyenjojo Woman MP, Joyce Kwebiha and the District Council speaker, Silver Kasoro.
Sources said on Tuesday, when Butime handed in his resignation letter to Kyambade, the Kyenjojo district chairman, William Kaija, also handed another letter to Kyambade (above) seeking audience with Museveni.
Kaija confirmed the reports and said, “It’s true we want to meet the President and talk about Mzee Butime’s issue and other issues affecting the district.”
Butime, who was last year promoted to the rank of a Colonel from a Major and retired, has been the first minister to voluntarily resign from the Cabinet since 1995.
Earlier last year, Prof. Edward Rugumayo declined to take up an ambassadorial appointment after he was dropped as tourism minister in a reshuffle. Butime is one of the NRM historicals who was active in the five-year armed struggle which brought NRM to power in 1986.
Butime, who holds a masters degree in journalism, has served in various portfolios as a minister.
He first held the portfolio of state minister for foreign affairs until he was elevated to minister of lands, housing and urban development.
He was the minister for internal affairs and then was shuffled to the ministry of disaster preparedness and refugees.
He was state minister for international affairs and held the portfolio of the acting foreign affairs after the death of James Wapakhabulo.
In the 2004 reshuffle, he was named the state minister for communications, the portfolio he has held until the President appointed him the State Minister for Karamoja Affairs in Office of the Prime Minister. Butime was vetted by the appointments committee and took oath in the presence of the President but a source at the Prime Minister’s Office said he had never reported to work.
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